Broiler rack



NOV. 15, 1955 E. G. DREYFUS BROILER RACK Filed Jan. 25, 1952 United States Patent O BROILER RACK Eugene G. Dreyfus, Cambridge, Mass. Application January 23, 1952, Serial No. 267,875 8 Claims. (Cl. 99-444) This invention relates in general to gas broilers, and more particularly to a broiler rack especially adapted for use with gas burners.

The broiler rack here disclosed, while especially useful in restaurants, or other institutions serving the public, requiring facilities for large-scale, rapid broiling of many different kinds of foods, is also suitable for private kitchens and house trailers, and can be operated with bottled gas for picnics and outdoor barbecues. In the restaurant eld, many of the better-class establishments employ charcoal fires for broiling steaks and similar foods, as this fuel, when properly used, forms a bed of coals producing the steady, evenly distributed heat which is most desirable for broiling. There are, however, certain disadvantages attendant upon the use of charcoal. The re must be started ahead of time and kept burning during the entire period when it may be required, in order to maintain the coal bed, and, when new fuel is added, some time elapses before the fire is again in usable condition. The grate must be cleaned out from time to time, and cleaning is not only laborious but gives rise to a considerable amount of flying dust and ash which is most undesirable in a room where food is being prepared. The necessity of keeping the fire going when it is not actually needed often makes the kitchen too hot for comfort. The fat which drips down into the lire during cooking also causes objectionable smoking and sparking. Electric broilers, which are sometimes used, are more readily controlled and cleaner than charcoal, although they do not eliminate the smoke problem entirely, but are considerably more expensive to install and operate. The gas broilers now available are generally not considered as satisfactory as the other two types, even though gas as a fuel is relatively cheap, clean, quick-heating, and easy to control. One of the diiculties is that if the food on a conventional rack is placed close to the flame uneven cooking results, whereas if the rack is moved far enough away to insure even cooking there is considerable waste of heat. Also, the burner holes are likelyto become clogged with fat and soot, and contact ofthe drippings withthe flame or heated parts of the burner causes objectionable smoking.

The object of this invention is to provide a broiler rack which utilizes to the full the inherent advantages of gas as a fuel, and at the same time insures even cooking with a maximum economy of fuel,` reduces smoking to a minimum, and effectively protects the burners against accumulations of soot and fat. The rack here described can be quickly pre-heated so as to be almost instantly ready for use when the burner is turned on, is relatively inexpensive to install, is readily cleaned, and requires very little maintenance.

In the drawings illustrating the invention,

Fig. l is a plan view of a broiler rack constructed according to the invention, two of the cross-bars being shown partly cut away,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the rack illustrated in Fig. 1, showing a modification in the burner arrangement,

2,723,617 Patented Nov. 15, 1955 Fig. 3 is a cross-section along line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged central cross-section of one type of cross-bar used in the rack, and

l Fig. 5 is an enlarged central cross-section of another type of cross-bar.

The rack is illustrated in Figs. l and 2 as installed on a gas broiler of more or less conventional construction having a manifold 6 discharging into a number of burner pipes 7, each of which is provided with a row of ports 8. The rear ends of the pipes are closed and supported in any convenient manner, for example, by attachment to the rear wall 9 of the unit. It is understood that the manifold is installed on a supporting frame and connected to a gas supply through an ordinary type of manual or other control valve (not shown).

A frame bar 10 is mounted in any convenient manner along the front of the unit, and a second frame bar 11 is mounted along the rear. Bar 10 may be welded along the top of the manifold 6, and bar 11 attached to the rear wall 9, or, as here shown, the front and rear bars may be connected together by side bars 17 and 27 to form a rectangular frame.

Resting on the front and rear bars are a number of cross-bars 12 which are spaced so as to lie over the burner pipes 7. Bar 10 is provided with a number of suitably spaced notches, for example, notch 13, in which the crossbars rest, and bar 11 is suitably provided with similar notches, as exemplified by notch 14. As illustrated more clearly in Fig. 3, each cross-bar 12 has, near its front end on its under side, grooves 16 of suitable size to t over bar 10. The cross-bars are thus firmly held in place during use, but can be readily lifted out for cleaning. It is understood, however, that the cross-bars and frame could be joined together and the frame, comprising bars 10, 11, 17, and 27, made detachable from the burner unit.

The central part of each cross-bar 12 is cut away on the under side to form a heat chamber 18 (Fig. 3) which overlies the burner ports. ln cross-section the central part of a bar 12 may be shaped as shown in Fig. 4, or as shown in Fig. 5. In either case, the upper surface is ilat and the sides are undercut to form narrow-edged overhanging lips 19 and 20. Spaced inward from the lips are two downward projecting baffles 21 and 22 which are somewhat longer than the lips. Between the baffles is the heat chamber 18 which overlies the burner pipe 7 and accommodates the flame 24 (both indicated in dotted outline). The roof 23 of the heat chamber may be substantially at, as shown in Fig. 4, or may be arched, as shown in Fig. 5. In either case, the roof is traversed by longitudinal serrations or ribs 25, the purpose of which is to increase the area of the heat absorbing surface exposed to the flame so that the bar can be preheated rapidly. The extra heat absorbing surface area thus provided also serves to maintain suflcient heat transmission through the 'bar for maximum cooking eflciency over long periods of use, despite any loss of heat absorbing eciency by the under surface due to possible accumulations of soot.

The cross-bars are preferably cast in one piece. Cast iron has proved satisfactory as a material, both as to cost and as to heat distributing properties, although other materials such as aluminum could be used. Bars of the following dimensions have been found satisfactory for use with burners constructed of half inch pipe: width of bar top 5/x in., depth to bottom of bales 1/2 in., width between baffles 1/2 in., depth of lip 1A; in., minimum thickness over roof 1A in. The burner pipes are preferably spaced as closely as practicable to the bars for example, about 1/2 in. below the roof, and arranged so that the bars are spaced spart by not more than half their width. With this arrangement, the heat distribution over the covered and uncovered areas of the food is substantially uniform, resulting in even cooking, and maximum economy of fuel is obtained. This spacing of the bars also insures adequate support for foods, such as certain types of lsh, which tend to break apart in cooking. The above dimensions may be varied to some extent and `are given merely by way of example. However, a much heavier bar .takes longer to preheat and is wasteful to fuel, whereas a much thinner bar, besides being deficient in strength, is likely to overheat and burn the food, and also holds .too little reserve heat for proper searing when cold food is rst placed on the rack.

The drippings which run down the sides of the bars during cooking drop od quickly at the lower edges f lips 19 and 20, and therefore do not remain in contact with lthe heated parts long enough to burn. It is apparent that most of the drippings will fall straight down between the burner pipes. The drippings are readily collected in .a suitable drip pan, indicated by the dot and dash lines 26 in Figs. l and '2, which can be placed at some distance .below the burners so as to remain comparatively cool. The smoking normally accompanying broiling, which is mostly due to burning fats, is thus kept to a minimum. The baffles 21 and 22, furthermore, protect the burner ports against spatterings from the exposed surface of the food and also ycut down smoking by preventing particles of fat from reaching the hot burner pipes. Since the llame ris effectively shielded from fats, and adequate space is vprovided for the flame, the amount of soot normally resulting from combustion when the flame is properly adjusted is negligible. Such soot as may occasionally be deposited on the under side of the bars can be readily brushed off when the bars are removed.

By use of the broiler rack here described, foods can be .broiled fully as uniformly and evenly with gas as with charcoal or any other type of fuel. Cooking is much cleaner and the temperature more readily controlled. Furthermore, the broiler rack utilizes the heat from the burners very .efficiently and can be preheated so rapidly that the burners need be turned on only when in actual use. These features not only result in considerable economy of fuel, but make for more comfortable working `conditions in the kitchen. Economy is, of course, an important factor in all cooking installations, but may be especially so where the supply of fuel is limited, as in home kitchens or trailers using bottled gas.

If desired, an attractive pattern can be produced on Athe surface of the meat by turning the meat a quarter turn sidewise when partly cooked.

Fig. 2 shows the broiler rack and burner assembly used in conjunction with an overhead broiler, consisting of burner pipes 28 arranged in much the same manner as burner pipes 7 but with ports on the under side, and supplied from a manifold 16. This type of installationis especially advantageous for restaurants, as it reduces cook- :ing time by .fty per cent or better by cooking the food on both sides -at once, and eliminates the labor of Vturn- .ing the food over. Better flavor and retention of vjuices also results from the simultaneous searing of both Vsides of the food, and foods such as lobster are more evenly cooked.

Cil

It is understood that this disclosure is illustrative and that the invention embraces any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A broiler rack for gas burners comprising: a supporting frame; and a plurality of relatively long, narrow lat cross-bars mounted on said frame, each bar having a central portion of substantial mass and a number of continuous ribs on its under side running in the direction of its longest dimension and carrying a continuous downward projecting outer lip, having a continuous sharp lower edge, on either side of said ribs, said ribs being disposed along the under side of said central portion.

2. A broiler rack for gas burners comprising: a supporting frame; and a plurality of relatively long narrow tlat cross-bars mounted on said frame, each bar having a central portion of substantial mass and having, on either side a downward projecting lip terminating in a continuous sharp lower edge and a downward extending baffle wall spaced inward from said lip running in the direction of the longest dimension of the bar. l

3. A broiler rack according to claim l, said baille walls extending below the edges of said lips.

4. A broiler rack according to claim l, the under side of each of said bars between said baille walls having serrations running in said direction.

5. A broiler rack according to claim 1, the under ysurvface of each of said bars between said baille walls .being substantially of planar configuration.

6. A broiler rack according to claim 1, the under surface of each of said bars being arched between said baille walls.

7. Apparatus as described in claim l, said frame cornprising a pair of spaced apart frame members having ay plurality of notches disposed and adapted to receive said cross-bars, and said cross-bars having `grooves on ,their under sides adjacent one of their ends adapted to llt over .one of said frame members.

8. A broiler rack as described in claim 1, said crossbars being spaced apart by substantially half their width.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 158,858 Mitchell Jan. 19, 1875 1,004,401 Fey Sept. 26, 1911 1,010,169 Noreck Nov. 28, 1911 1,066,552 Taylor J-uly 8, 1913 1,103,992 Murray July 21, 1914 1,133,850 Garraux Mar. 30, '1915 1,263,331 Lindroth Apr. 16, 1918 1,504,102 Davis Aug. 5, 1924 2,052,067 Zeimet Aug. 25, 1936 2,070,111 Blayney Feb. v9, '1937 2,076,479 OConnell Apr. 6, l1937 2,253,834 Volks Aug. 26, 1-94-1 2,362,415 Sivley Nov. 7, '1944 2,554,412 Kavanagh May 22, 195-1 2,601,299 Kennedy June 24, 1952 

